Not surprisingly, the main routes surrounding this institute of higher learning are lined with viable bar options, so the goal here is to navigate each one according to the experience you seek. Whether you’re looking to recreate those magical nights with your buddies from Psych 100 or simply trying to network with some fellow business-casual 9-to-5ers, chances are there’s a bar in this neighbourhood for you.
OLD STANDBYS There are profits to be made off the legions of students populating the intersection of Bloor and St. George, so it’s no surprise to find a number of chain bars in the neighbourhood, namely Duke of York (39 Prince Arthur, 416-964-2441), Fox and the Fiddle (280 Bloor W., 416-966-4369) and Gabby’s (194 Bloor W., 416-967-5550), all of which offer a mix of wood panelling, patios and traditional pub fare.
Directly across the street from the imposing university gates sit Molly Bloom (191 College, 416-916-6448) and O’Grady’s (171 College, 416-596-0327), both of which offer a bare-bones interior and live music upstairs.
For most engineering students, the afternoon binge drinking rituals begin and end at Ein-Stein Café and Pub, an underground College Street institution that offers $2 shots on Tuesdays and, remarkably, accepts Canadian Tire money at par on the weekend.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Harbord House (150 Harbord, 647-430-7365) now occupies the space vacated by campus favourite Rowers Pub & Grill, and it offers a cottage-country vibe, with 15 microbrews on tap, hearty meals and two front-balcony patios.
A CLASSIER APPROACH If your goal is to ensure that you won’t be partying exclusively alongside dirt-poor university students, try Lobby (192 Bloor W., 416-929-7169), where you’re more likely to be ignored by the upscale clientele than hassled for a cigarette.
Failing that, the Bedford Academy (36 Prince Arthur, 416-921-4600) boasts a huge wraparound patio that covers three sides of the building, but the true destination is the old-world charm of the front room. With its shelves of leather-bound volumes and candlelit converted desks, it’s Dickensian in the finest sense of the word.